Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $183.00.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KEYS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $172.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Keysight Technologies from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Keysight Technologies from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered Keysight Technologies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Keysight Technologies from $156.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th.

Keysight Technologies Trading Down 1.0%

Keysight Technologies stock traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $160.19. The stock had a trading volume of 874,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,137,481. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.68 billion, a PE ratio of 45.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.10. Keysight Technologies has a 12 month low of $119.72 and a 12 month high of $186.20.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.05. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Keysight Technologies will post 6.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Keysight Technologies

In other news, Director Richard P. Hamada sold 1,589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.00, for a total value of $257,418.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 42,160 shares in the company, valued at $6,829,920. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Neil Dougherty sold 3,632 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $562,960.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 115,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,834,765. The trade was a 3.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Keysight Technologies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Keysight Technologies in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,297,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 66.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 393 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 3,743 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Keysight Technologies by 340.1% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,274 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 2,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 30.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,652 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 2,461 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.58% of the company's stock.

Keysight Technologies Company Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.